I have a great brother. He lives near a great butcher (Love’s Meat in Vegreville, Alberta). He recently visited and I cooked some long ribs he brought. These weren’t your usual all fat very little meat ribs. They were thick, meaty, well marbled ribs. A hushed sound fell over the room as I unwrapped them!
You can make these out of any beef ribs but try and get quality ribs like these.
The ribs weren’t quite thawed as I was preparing to cook them so I put them on a heavy overturned pot. The metal is heat conductive and will thaw the meat much faster.
While the meat was finishing thawing, I mixed up a teriyaki sauce:
125 ml (1/2 cup) Soy Sauce
75 ml (1/3 cup) cooking sherry
50 ml (1/4 cup) vegetable oil
50 ml (1/4 cup) sugar
5 ml (1 teaspoon) garlic powder
5 ml (1 teaspoon) ground ginger
I injected some of the sauce every inch or so into the meaty parts of the ribs. This is optional.
I sprinkled the outside of the ribs with 5 ml (1 teaspoon) each, salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder.
I put the ribs on a rack over a roasting pan. I added 250 ml (1 cup) beef stock to the roasting pan and put it into the Louisiana Grills pellet smoker at 250 F. You could do this in a 250 F oven but wouldn’t get the smoke flavour.
I smoked the ribs for 3 hours. I brought them inside and dropped the ribs into the roasting pan. I added the leftover teriyaki sauce and 125 ml (1/2 cup) beef stock to the roasting pan. I added that liquid to the roasting pan and covered the pan with foil.
The ribs can go back in the smoker but they will not be exposed to more smoke. As it is November in the Canadian Rockies and as I am getting old and soft, I put them in a 250 F oven instead.
I cooked them for another 3 hours.
I took the ribs out of the roasting pan and tented them with foil. I poured the liquid out of the roasting pan and defatted the liquid by using a turkey baster to pull the liquid out from under the fat. Measure 2 cups of the liquid. If you don’t have enough, top it up with beef stock
Pour the liquid in the roasting pan over medium heat. Mix a slurry of the cold water and cornstarch and stir it into the liquid. Cook until the sauce thickens.
Pour the liquid out of the pan and keep it warm.
Put the ribs in the roasting pan and brush with the teriyaki gravy. Put the ribs in the 250 F oven for 15 minutes.
The meat was falling off the bones so I cut it in chunks. If you are using leaner ribs that aren’t falling off, cut into individual ribs.
We served ours with grilled chicken, shrimp, vegetables, pasta salad, rolls and the warmed sauce.
The Verdict
It is possible to make a good meal out of an inferior cut of meat. However, when you get one of those prime cuts, perfectly trimmed and prime, it makes cooking a great meal so much easier.
The teriyaki added a nice sweet/earthy taste and the meat was tender and moist.
Thanks to my brother and Love’s meats.
The Old Fat Guy
Ingredients
- 2.5 kg (5 pounds) beef ribs
- 125 ml (1/2 cup) Soy Sauce
- 75 ml (1/3 cup) cooking sherry
- 50 ml (1/4 cup) vegetable oil
- 50 ml (1/4 cup) sugar
- 5 ml (1 teaspoon) garlic powder
- 5 ml (1 teaspoon) ground ginger
- 5 ml (1 teaspoon) salt
- 5 ml (1 teaspoon) pepper
- 5 ml (1 teaspoon) onion powder
- 5 ml (1 teaspoon) garlic powder
- 500 ml (2 cups) beef stock
- 25 ml (2 tablespoons) cornstarch
- 25 ml (2 tablespoons) cold water
Instructions
- Mix the soy sauce, sherry, oil, sugar, garlic powder and ginger together to make a teriyaki sauce.
- Inject some of the soy sauce into the meaty part of the ribs. This is optional.
- Rub the ribs with the salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder.
- Put 250 ml (1 cup) beef stock in a roasting pan. Put the ribs on a rack over the pan.
- Smoke or bake at 250 F for 3 hours.
- Drop the ribs into the roasting pan and add 125 ml (1/2 cup) of beef broth and the remaining teriyaki sauce.
- Cover with foil and cook at 250 F for 3 hours.
- Take the ribs from the pan and tent with foil.
- Defat the liquid in the roasting pan.
- Put the pan over medium heat with 500 ml (2 cups) of the defatted liquid. If needed use beef stock to make 500 ml (2 cups).
- Mix the cornstarch with the cold water and add to the roasting pan.
- Cook until the sauce is thickened and take it from the roasting pan.
- Put the ribs in the roasting pan, brush with the sauce and cook at 250 F for 15 minutes. Keep the rest of the sauce warm.
- Serve the ribs with the sauce.